Praise for Chloe Neill and the Chicagoland Vampires Series

Praise for Chloe Neill and the Chicagoland Vampires Series:

Some Girls Bite ‘Debut author Chloe Neill owes me a good night’s sleep! With her wonderfully compelling reluctant vampire heroine, and her careful world building, I was drawn into Some Girls Bite from page one, and kept reading far into the night. I love Merit and can’t wait for the next book in this fabulous new series’ Julie Kenner, USA Today bestselling author

‘There’s a new talent in town, and if this debut is any indication, she’s here to stay! Not only does Neill introduce an indomitable and funny heroine; her secondary characters are enormously intriguing . . . truly excellent!’ Romantic Times

Friday Night Bites

‘Proving that her debut was no fluke, Neill continues to build a world where newly revealed vampires and humans have an uneasy truce. Exploring this world through feisty and funny newbie vampire Merit’s eyes, she reveals a mix of the funny, the treacherous and the dangerous. This qualifies as first-rate fun!’ Romantic Times

‘Ms Neill has created an urban fantasy world that’s easily believed and a pleasure to visit. Friday Night Bites is wonderfully entertaining, and impossible to set down. There’s plenty of supernatural action to entice fans of the paranormal, while the suspense and romance open this series up to fans in a variety of other genres. I’d happily recommend the Chicagoland Vampires series as a delicious escape to get hooked on’ Darque Reviews Twice Bitten

‘Neill continues to hit the sweet spot with her blend of high-stakes drama, romantic entanglements, and a touch of humour . . . Certain to whet readers’ appetites for more in this entertaining series!’ Romantic Times

‘Refreshing urban fantasy’ Publishers Weekly

Also by Chloe Neill

Chicagoland Vampires series Some Girls Bite Friday Night Bites Twice Bitten Hard Bitten

Dark Elite series Firespell Hexbound A Chicagoland Vampires Novel

The right of Chloe Neill to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in Great Britain in 2011 by Gollancz An imprint of the Orion Publishing Group Orion House, 5 Upper St Martin’s Lane, London WC2H 9EA An Hachette UK Company

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 0 575 11340 4

Printed in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, plc

The Orion Publishing Group’s policy is to use papers that are natural, renewable and recyclable products and made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The logging and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

www.chloeneill.com www.orionbooks.co.uk To Jeremy, with love. (Now can I borrow twenty dollars?)

“A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring. . . .”

Alexander Pope Chapter One • GRAVITATIONALLY CHALLENGED

Late November Chicago, Illinois

he wind was cool, the fall night crisp. A waxing moon hung lazily in the sky, so low it seemed close enough to Ttouch. Or maybe it just seemed that way because I was perched nine stories in the air, atop a narrow metal grate that crowned Chicago’s Harold Washington Library. One of the library’s distinctive alumi- num owls— either one of the best architectural features in the city or one of its worst, depending on who you asked—sat above me, staring down as I trespassed in his domain. This was one of the few times I’d ventured outside my Hyde Park home in the last two months for a reason unrelated to food— it was Chicago, after all— or my best friend Mallory. As I glanced over the edge of the building, I began to seriously regret that decision. The library wasn’t exactly a skyscraper, but it was tall enough that a fall would most certainly have killed a human.

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Late November Chicago, Illinois

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My heart jumped into my throat, and every muscle in my body “You have to learn to fall safely,” he said. rang with the urge to kneel down, grasp the edges of the grate, “I know,” I said. “Catcher trained me to spar. He was big on and never let go. falling down correctly.” Catcher was my former roommate and best “It’s not as far as it looks, Merit.” friend Mallory’s live- in beau. He was also an employee of my I glanced over at the vampire who stood to my right. Jonah, the grandfather. one who’d convince me to come out here, chuckled and brushed “Then you know being immortal doesn’t mean being care- auburn hair back from his perfectly chiseled face. less,” Jonah added, extending a hand toward me, and my heart “It’s far enough,” I said. “And this wasn’t exactly what came to jumped, this time as much from the gesture as the height. mind when you suggested I get some fresh air.” I’d put myself— and my heart— on a shelf for the last two “Maybe not. But you can’t deny the view is fabulous.” months, my work as Sentinel of Chicago’s Cadogan House mostly My white- knuckled fingers digging into the wall behind me, I limited to patrolling the House’s grounds. I could admit it— I was looked out across the city. He was right—you couldn’t fault the gun-shy. My newfound vampire bravery had mostly evaporated intimate view of downtown Chicago, of steel and glass and well- after the Master of my House, Ethan Sullivan, the vampire who’d hewn stone. made me, named me Sentinel, and been my partner, had been But, “I could have looked out the window,” I pointed out. staked in the heart by my mortal enemy . . . right before I’d re- “Where’s the challenge in that?” he asked, and then his voice turned the favor to her. softened. “You’re a vampire,” he reminded me. “Gravity affects As a former grad student in English literature, I could appreci- you differently.” ate the perverse poetry of it. He was right. Gravity treated us a little more kindly. It helped Jonah, captain of the guards in Grey House, was my link to the us fight with more verve and, so I’d heard, fall from a height with- Red Guard, a secret organization dedicated to providing oversight out killing ourselves. But that didn’t mean I was eager to test the to the American vampire Houses and the Greenwich Presidium, theory. Not when the result could be bone- crushingly bad. the European council that ruled them from across the pond. “I swear,” he said, “if you follow instructions, the fall won’t hurt I’d been offered membership in the RG, and Jonah was the you.” partner I’d been promised if I’d accepted. I hadn’t, but he’d been Easy for him to say. Jonah had decades more vampiric experi- nice enough to help me deal with problems GP politics made too ence under his belt; he had less to be nervous about. To me, im- sticky for Ethan. mortality had never seemed so fragile. Jonah had been more than happy to act as Ethan’s I blew the dark bangs from my face and peeked over the edge replacement— professionally and otherwise. The messages we’d one more time. State Street was far below us, mostly deserted at exchanged over the last few weeks—and the hope in his eyes this time of night. At least I wouldn’t crush someone if this didn’t tonight— said he was interested in something more than just su- work. pernatural problem- solving.

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There was no denying Jonah was handsome. Or charming. Or “Trust me,” he said. “Besides, this is a skill you need to mas- brilliant in a weirdly quirky way. Honestly, he could have starred in ter,” Jonah said. “Malik and Kelley need you.” his own romantic comedy. But I wasn’t ready to even think about Kelley was a former House guard now in charge of the House’s dating again. I didn’t think I would be any time soon. My heart was entire guard corps. Unfortunately, since we were now down to otherwise engaged, and since Ethan’s death, mostly broken. three full- time guards (including Kelley) and a Sentinel, that Jonah must have seen the hesitation in my eyes. He smiled wasn’t exactly a coup for her. kindly, then pulled back his hand and pointed toward the edge. Malik was Ethan’s former second in command, Master of the “Remember what I told you about jumping? This is the same House since Ethan’s demise. He’d taken the Rights of Investiture, as taking a step.” and the House had been given to his keeping. He’d definitely said that. Two or three times now. I just wasn’t Ethan’s death had sparked a nasty case of vampire musical buying. “It’s a really, really long step.” chairs. “It is,” Jonah agreed. “But it’s only the first step that sucks. As a Master, Malik Washington had gotten back his last name; Being in the air is one of the greatest things you’ll ever experi- Masters of the country’s twelve vampire Houses were the only ence.” vamps allowed to use them. Unfortunately, Malik had also gotten “Better than being safely on the ground?” the House’s political drama, which had thickened since Ethan’s “Much. More like flying— except we don’t do ‘up’ nearly as death. Malik worked tirelessly, but had to spend most of his time well as we do ‘down.’ This is your chance to be a superhero.” dealing with the newest bane of our existence. “They do call me the ‘Ponytailed Avenger,’ ” I grumbled, flip- Said bane was Franklin Theodore Cabot, the appointed re- ping my long dark ponytail. The Chicago Sun- Times had deemed ceiver of Cadogan House. When Darius West, head of the GP, had me a “Ponytailed Avenger” when I’d helped a shifter in a bar at- decided he didn’t like the way the House was run, “Frank” had tack. Since I usually wore my hair in a ponytail to keep it away been sent to Chicago to inspect and evaluate the House. The GP from the errant katana strike (my bangs not included), the name said they were concerned Ethan hadn’t effectively managed the kind of stuck. House— but that was a total lie, and they’d wasted no time send- “Has anyone ever told you you’re particularly sarcastic when ing the receiver to check our rooms, our books, and our files. I you’re scared?” wasn’t exactly sure what data Frank was looking for— and why so “You’re not the first,” I admitted. “I’m sorry. I’m just—this is much interest in a House an entire ocean away? freaking me out. There is nothing in my body or mind that thinks Whatever the reason, Frank wasn’t a good houseguest. He was jumping off a building is a good idea.” obnoxious, autocratic and a stickler for rules I hadn’t even known “You’ll be fine. The fact that it scares you is reason number one existed to the exclusion of everything else. Of course, I was be- to do it.” coming pretty well acquainted with them; Frank had papered one Or reason number one to turn tail and run back to Hyde Park. wall of the House’s first floor with the new House rules and the

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punishments that went along with breaking them. The system was Whatever the drama, Frank was back in Hyde Park. I was here, necessary, he’d said, because House discipline had been lackadai- in the Loop, with an ersatz vampire partner determined to teach sical. me how to jump from a building without killing someone . . . or Maybe not surprisingly, I had taken an immediate dislike to pushing myself beyond the limits of immortality. Frank, and not just because he was a blue- blooded Ivy League I looked over the edge again, my stomach curdling with it. I business school graduate with a penchant for phrases like “syn- was torn by dueling urges to drop to my knees and crawl back to ergy” and “out of the box thinking.” He’d salted his introductory the stairs and to hurl myself over the edge. comments to the House with those words, offering up the not-so- But then he spoke the words most likely to get me moving. subtle threat that the House would be taken over by the GP on a “Dawn will be here eventually, Merit.” permanent basis— or disbanded—if he wasn’t satisfied with what The myth about vampires and sunlight was true—if I was still he found. on this roof when the sun rose, I’d burn up into a pile of ash. I’d been fortunate enough to come from a family of means, and “You have two options,” Jonah said. “You can trust me and try there were other vampires in the House who had old money back- this, or you can climb back through the roof, go home, and never grounds. But it was Frank’s attitude of entitlement that really know what you might be capable of.” irked me. The man wore deck shoes, for God’s sake. And he was He held out his hand. “Trust me,” he said. “And keep your most definitelynot on a boat. In reality, despite the role he’d been knees soft when you land.” given by the GP, he was actually a Novitiate vampire (if a wealthy It was the certainty in his eyes that did it— the confidence that one) from a House on the east coast. A House, granted, that had I could achieve the goal. Once upon a time, I’d have seen suspi- been founded by a Cabot ancestor, but which had long since been cion in his gaze. Jonah hadn’t been a fan when we’d first met. But given over to another Master. circumstances had forced us together, and whatever his initial Worse, Frank spoke to us like he was a member of the House, doubts, he’d apparently learned to trust me. as if his money and connections were a passport to status within Now was a good time to make good on that trust. Cadogan. Frank playing at House membership was even more ri- I held out my hand and death- gripped his fingers in mine. “Soft diculous since his entire purpose was to itemize the ways we knees,” I repeated. weren’t following the party line. He was an outsider sent to label “You only have to take a step,” he said. us as nonconforming and pound us, square pegs, back into round I looked over at him, ready to “Roger” my agreement. But be- holes. fore I could open my mouth, he winked and took a step, pulling Out of concern for the House and respect for the chain of com- me along with him. Before I could protest, we were airborne. mand, Malik had given him the run of the House. He figured The first step was bone-chillingly awful— the sudden sensa- Frank was a battle he couldn’t win, so he was saving up his politi- tion of the ground—and our security—disappearing beneath us, a cal capital for another round. sickening lurch that flipped my stomach and shuddered through

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my entire body. My heart jumped into my throat, although that at And I’d thought the first step off the roof had been nerve- least kept me from screaming out a bubble of fear. wracking. But that’s when it got good. After the nasty initial drop (really nasty— I can’t stress that Cadogan House was located in Hyde Park, a subdivision south of enough), the rest of the journey wasn’t much like falling at all. It downtown Chicago. It was also home to the University of Chicago, felt more like hopping down a staircase—if the distance between whose grad school I’d been attending when I’d been made a vam- each tread was a lot longer. I couldn’t have been in the air for more pire. Ethan had changed me, beginning my transformation only sec- than three or four seconds, but time actually seemed to slow onds after I’d been attacked by a rogue vamp— one not tied to a down, the city decelerating around me as I took a step to the particular House— sent by Celina Desaulniers. She was the narcis- ground. I hit the ground in a crouch, one hand on the sidewalk, sistic vamp I’d staked just moments after Ethan had been killed; with no more impact than if I’d simply jumped up. she’d sent the rogue to kill me to piss off my father. As I’d later dis- My transition to vampire had been scattershot, and my abilities covered, my real estate– peddling father had offered Ethan money had come “online” slowly enough that it still surprised me when I to make me a vampire. Ethan declined the offer, and Celina had was able to do something the first time around. This move would been miffed by my father’s refusal to make the same offer to her. have killed me a year ago, but now it left me feeling kind of in- The girl was a piece of work. vigorated. Jumping nine stories to the ground without a broken Anywho, Ethan named me Sentinel of the House. To help pro- bone or bruise? That was a home run in my book. tect the House, and to avoid listening to Mallory’s midnight (and “You’ve got hops,” Jonah said. noon . . . and six a.m. . . . and six p.m.) romantic escapades with I glanced over at him through my bangs. “That was phenomenal.” Catcher, I moved into Cadogan. “I told you it would be.” The House had all the basics—kitchen, workout room, an Op- I stood up and straightened the hem of my leather jacket. “You erations Room where guards kept an eye on the House, and did tell me. But the next time you throw me off a building, I will dormlike rooms for about ninety of the three hundred Cadogan bring the pain.” vampires. My room was on the second floor. It wasn’t huge and it He smiled teasingly, which made my heart flutter uncomfort- wasn’t lush, but it was a respite from the drama of being a vampire ably. “In that case, I think we have a deal.” in Chicago. It had a bed, bookcase, closet, and small bathroom. “You ‘think’? You couldn’t just agree not to throw me off a Plus, it was just down the hall from a kitchen loaded with junk building?” food and bagged blood provided by our awfully named delivery “What fun would that be?” Jonah asked, then turned and service, Blood4You. headed down the street. I let him get a few paces ahead before fol- I parked my orange Volvo a few blocks up, then hiked back to lowing behind, that teasing look he’d given me still in mind. the House. It glowed in the darkness of Hyde Park, new security

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floodlights—installed when the House was renovated after an at- beheadings. Blood was a necessity, but so were chocolate and diet tack by growly shape- shifters— pouring across the grounds. The soda. I wasn’t undead; I just wasn’t human. So I’d decided that if I neighbors groused about the floodlights until they considered the acted normal and was polite, I could slowly challenge their precon- consequences of not having them—the protection darkness would ceptions about vampires. afford supernatural trespassers. Chicago’s Houses also were getting better about challenging The House was relatively quiet tonight, a band of protesters misinformation. There was even a bulletin board in Wrigleyville snuggled into blankets on the grass between the sidewalk and the with a picture of four diverse, smiling vampires beneath the words wrought iron gate that surrounded the House. Their numbers come on over! The billboard was supposed to be an invitation to get were down from the masses that had swarmed the grass before to know Chicago’s Houses. Tonight, it was a reason for forlorn- looking Mayor Tate had been stripped of his office, arraigned, and impris- teenagers to wield hand- painted come on over— and die! posters. oned in an undisclosed location. The change in leadership had I smiled politely as I passed them, then held up the two ging- calmed down the city’s voters. ham bags of burgers and crinkle- cut fries. “Dinnertime!” I cheer- Unfortunately, it hadn’t calmed down the politicians. Diane fully announced. Kowalczyk, the woman who’d replaced Tate, had her eye on the I was greeted at the gate by two of the mercenary fairies who oval office, and she was using Chicago’s supernaturals to prop up controlled access to the Cadogan House grounds. They offered her future campaign. She was a big supporter of the proposed su- the merest of nods as I passed, then turned their attention back to pernatural registration law, which would require all sups to register the street. Fairies were notoriously antivampire, but they were our powers and carry identification papers. We’d also have to check even more antihuman. Cash payments from the House for their in every time we entered or left the state. security services kept that balance. Most sups hated the idea. It was antithetical to being Ameri- I hopped the steps to the portico and headed inside, where I can, and it sang of discrimination. Sure, some of us were danger- was greeted by a knot of vampires staring at the wall where Frank ous, but that was true of humans, as well. Would human Chicagoans had been hanging his declarations. have supported a law that required them to prove their identity to “Welcome to the jungle,” said a voice behind me. anyone who asked? I doubted it. I turned to find Juliet, one of the remaining Cadogan guards, The humans who’d decided we were all untrustworthy dedi- watching the vamps with a forlorn look. She was slender and red- cated their evenings to letting us know just how much they hated headed, and had an elfish look about her. us. Sadly, some of the protestors were beginning to look familiar. “What’s going on?” I asked. In particular, I recognized a young couple— a boy and girl who “More rules,” she said, gesturing to the wall. “Three new addi- couldn’t have been more than sixteen, and who’d once chanted tions to the wall of shame. Frank has decided vampires are not to hateful words at me and Ethan. congregate together in groups larger than ten other than in offi- Yes, I had fangs. Daylight was lethal, as were aspen stakes and cially sanctioned gatherings.”

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“All the better to revolt against the GP?” I wondered. “Quite possibly. Has he scheduled your interview yet?” “I guess. Apparently ‘freedom of assembly’ isn’t one of the Not surprisingly, Frank had required each vamp to participate GP’s favorite rights.” in a private interview. From what I’d heard, the interviews were “How very colonial,” I muttered. “What’s the second?” fairly standard “justify your existence” deals. I was one of the few Her expression went flat. “He’s rationing blood.” vamps he hadn’t yet spoken to. Not that I was bummed, but each I was so stunned by the idea it took me a moment to gather my day that passed without an interview made me that much more wits. “We’re vampires. We need blood to survive.” suspicious. She looked disdainfully at the paper-dotted wall. “Oh, I know. “Still nothing,” I told her. But Frank, in his infinite wisdom, decided Ethan spoiled us by “Maybe it’s a show of respect or something. Trying to respect having bagged blood too readily available. He’s cutting the Ethan’s memory by not interviewing you first?” Blood4You deliveries.” “I doubt our relationship would sway the GP’s evaluation of Although we usually drank bagged blood, Cadogan was one of the House. Maybe it’s strategic— he’s holding out so I anticipate the few vampire Houses in the United States— and the only one in the conversation, worry about it.” I held up my dinner. “At least I Chicago— that allowed its vampires to drink blood from humans or have comfort food.” other vamps. The other Houses had abolished the practice to better “And speaking of which, it’s a good thing you brought that in.” assimilate with humans. Personally, I had taken blood from only one “Why?” man— Ethan— but I could appreciate that the option was available. “The third rule: Frank has banned convenience food in the “Better us than Grey House,” I mused. “At least we have other kitchens.” sources.” Strike three for Frank. “What’s his rationale for that one?” “Not this time,” Juliet said. “He’s also banned drinking.” “It’s unhealthy, overly processed, and expensive, he says. It’s That idea was equally preposterous—but for a different rea- all apples and cabbage and granola in there right now.” son. “Ethan made that rule,” I protested. “And Malik confirmed it. Because I’m a vampire with an appetite, that almost hurt more Frank doesn’t have the power— ” than anything else Frank had done. But Juliet cut me off with a shrug. “It’s part of his evaluation, Juliet checked her watch. “Well, I should get back to it. You he says. A test to see how well we handle our hunger.” heading upstairs to eat?” “He’s setting us up for failure,” I quietly said, looking over the “Luc and Malik wanted to talk, and I promised I’d bring grub. crowd of vamps, now chattering nervously. “There’s no way we’ll What are you up to?” make it through a receivership, two months after losing our Master She gestured toward the stairs that led to the House’s base- and with protestors at the gates, without someone freaking out ment level, where the Ops Room was located. “Just finished a shift from lack of blood.” I looked back at her. “He’ll use that as an ex- on the monitors.” She meant the closed-caption televisions that cuse to take over the House, or close it altogether.” captured security footage from the House grounds.

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“Anything newsworthy?” “Well, it’s been a long night,” she said. “I’m going to head up- She rolled her eyes. “People hate us, blah blah blah, wish we’d stairs.” go straight to hell, or maybe Wisconsin, since it’s closer, blah blah “Juliet,” I called out, before she’d gotten too far. “Have you blah.” ever jumped?” “Same old, same old?” “Jumped?” she asked with a frown. “Like in the air?” “Pretty much. If Celina thought outing vampires was going to “Like off a building.” usher in a happy vampire fairy tale, she was sorely mistaken.” “I have.” Understanding dawned in her eyes. “Why, Sentinel— “Celina was mistaken on a number of fronts,” I said. did you make your first landing tonight?” “That is true,” she softly said, and I caught the hint of pity in “I did, yeah.” her voice. But pity was as exhausting to bear as grief, so I changed “Congratulations,” she said. “Just be careful that you don’t go the subject. too far or fall too fast.” “Any sign of McKetrick?” I asked. McKetrick, first name un- Words to live by. known, was a military type who’d decided vampires were the re- public’s new enemy. He had black gear, combat weapons, and a Frank had co- opted Malik’s office— the office that had once be- strong desire to clean us all out of the city. He’d harangued Ethan longed to Ethan. Malik had barely had two weeks in the room be- and me one evening and promised we’d be seeing more of him. fore Frank arrived and announced he needed the space to evaluate There’d been a couple of sightings since then, and I’d gotten a the House. few more details about his military background from Catcher— Malik— tall, cocoa- skinned and green- eyed— was deliberative. think questionable tactics and chain of command issues—but if he He picked his battles carefully, so he’d deferred and moved back had a master plan for vampirocide, he hadn’t yet made it clear. into his old office down the hall. I wasn’t sure if that made me feel better, or worse. It wasn’t large; the room was nearly filled by Malik’s desk, “Not even a ruffle.” She tilted her head to the side. “What were shelves of books and personal mementos. But the small size didn’t you up to outside?” keep us from meeting there regularly. Bound together by our grief, “Out. Working out, I mean.” I stumbled a little on the explana- we were more likely to be crammed into the office in our spare tion, as I hadn’t yet confessed to the guards that I’d been working time than anywhere else in the House. with Jonah. Our time together had been triggered by our Red Tonight, Malik and Luc sat on opposite sides of a chess set Guard connection, and that secret wasn’t mine to tell, so I’d atop Malik’s desk, and Lindsey sat cross- legged on the floor a few avoided the subject of Jonah altogether. feet away, magazine in hand. One more lie woven into the already tangled web. Malik’s wife, Aaliyah— petite, gorgeous, and as humble as they “It’s always good to stay in shape,” Juliet said with a wink. came— joined us on occasion, but she was absent tonight. Aaliyah A wink that suggested I hadn’t been so sneaky after all. was a writer who spent more time in their apartment than out of it.

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“Anything newsworthy?” “Well, it’s been a long night,” she said. “I’m going to head up- She rolled her eyes. “People hate us, blah blah blah, wish we’d stairs.” go straight to hell, or maybe Wisconsin, since it’s closer, blah blah “Juliet,” I called out, before she’d gotten too far. “Have you blah.” ever jumped?” “Same old, same old?” “Jumped?” she asked with a frown. “Like in the air?” “Pretty much. If Celina thought outing vampires was going to “Like off a building.” usher in a happy vampire fairy tale, she was sorely mistaken.” “I have.” Understanding dawned in her eyes. “Why, Sentinel— “Celina was mistaken on a number of fronts,” I said. did you make your first landing tonight?” “That is true,” she softly said, and I caught the hint of pity in “I did, yeah.” her voice. But pity was as exhausting to bear as grief, so I changed “Congratulations,” she said. “Just be careful that you don’t go the subject. too far or fall too fast.” “Any sign of McKetrick?” I asked. McKetrick, first name un- Words to live by. known, was a military type who’d decided vampires were the re- public’s new enemy. He had black gear, combat weapons, and a Frank had co- opted Malik’s office— the office that had once be- strong desire to clean us all out of the city. He’d harangued Ethan longed to Ethan. Malik had barely had two weeks in the room be- and me one evening and promised we’d be seeing more of him. fore Frank arrived and announced he needed the space to evaluate There’d been a couple of sightings since then, and I’d gotten a the House. few more details about his military background from Catcher— Malik— tall, cocoa-skinned and green- eyed— was deliberative. think questionable tactics and chain of command issues—but if he He picked his battles carefully, so he’d deferred and moved back had a master plan for vampirocide, he hadn’t yet made it clear. into his old office down the hall. I wasn’t sure if that made me feel better, or worse. It wasn’t large; the room was nearly filled by Malik’s desk, “Not even a ruffle.” She tilted her head to the side. “What were shelves of books and personal mementos. But the small size didn’t you up to outside?” keep us from meeting there regularly. Bound together by our grief, “Out. Working out, I mean.” I stumbled a little on the explana- we were more likely to be crammed into the office in our spare tion, as I hadn’t yet confessed to the guards that I’d been working time than anywhere else in the House. with Jonah. Our time together had been triggered by our Red Tonight, Malik and Luc sat on opposite sides of a chess set Guard connection, and that secret wasn’t mine to tell, so I’d atop Malik’s desk, and Lindsey sat cross- legged on the floor a few avoided the subject of Jonah altogether. feet away, magazine in hand. One more lie woven into the already tangled web. Malik’s wife, Aaliyah— petite, gorgeous, and as humble as they “It’s always good to stay in shape,” Juliet said with a wink. came— joined us on occasion, but she was absent tonight. Aaliyah A wink that suggested I hadn’t been so sneaky after all. was a writer who spent more time in their apartment than out of it.

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I could completely understand the urge to hunker down and avoid ual, a way— or so I’d guessed— for Malik and Luc to exert some vampire drama. minimal control over their lives while the GP’s talking head sat a Luc, now House Second and former captain of the Cadogan few yards down the hallway, deciding their fate. guards, was blond, tousle-haired, and laid back. He’d been born I put the bags of food onto the desk, pulled out bacon-laced and raised in the wild west, and I assumed he’d been made a vam- burgers for me and Lindsey, and took a seat beside her on the floor. pire at the barrel of a gun. Luc had pined for Lindsey, my House “So,” I said, folding down the burger’s paper wrapping. “Blood BFF and a fellow guard who’d apparently stolen some time away rationing?” from the Ops Room tonight. Luc and Malik growled simultaneously. Their relationship had been stop and go for a long time, albeit “The man is a stone-cold idiot,” Luc said, taking an impressive more “stop” than “go.” She’d been afraid a relationship would lead bite of his triple- layer burger. to a breakup, and a breakup would destroy their friendship. De- “Unfortunately,” Malik said, moving his chess piece and sitting spite her initial commitment-phobia, craving comfort after Ethan’s back in his chair, “he is an idiot with the full authority of the GP.” death, she’d finally agreed to give Luc a chance. “Which means we have to wait until he royally screws the I’d spent the first week after his death in a haze in my room, pooch before we can act,” Luc said, hunched over the board again. Mallory at my side. When I’d finally emerged and Mal had gone “All due respect, Liege, the guy is a douche.” home again, Lindsey showed up at my door in a total tizzy. She’d “I have no official position with respect to his douchery,” gone to Luc in her grief, and consolation had turned to affection—a Malik said, pulling a box of fries out of the bag, applying a prodi- supportive embrace to a passionate kiss that totally rocked her gious amount of ketchup, and digging in. I appreciated that socks (or so she said). That kiss hadn’t erased her doubts, but she’d Malik, unlike Ethan, didn’t need to be schooled on Chicago’s belayed her fears enough to give him a chance. best and greasiest cuisine. He knew the difference between a red Luc, of course, felt completely vindicated. hot and a hot beef, had a favorite pizza joint, and had been known “Sentinel,” Luc said, fingers hovering over one of the black to take a late- night trip with Aaliyah to a roadside diner outside knights, apparently debating his options. “I smell those burgers, Milwaukee to get Wisconsin’s “best cheese curds.” More power and you’d better have brought enough for everyone.” to them. Decision made, he plucked up the knight, set it down heavily “But we will allow him to hang himself with his own rope,” in its new position, then raised his arms in the air triumphantly. Malik added. “And in the meantime, we will monitor the vampires “And so we advance!” he said, winging up his eyebrows at Malik. and intervene when the time is appropriate.” “You got a response to that?” The tone was all Master vampire, something Malik had gotten “I’m sure I’ll figure something out,” Malik said, his gaze now better at using over the last few weeks. I took the hint, dropped fixed on the board, scanning left to right as he calculated odds and the subject and dug into my burger while Luc used a fry to point evaluated his options. The chess game had become a weekly rit- to various chess pieces he was again deciding between.

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“Deliberative, isn’t he?” I whispered to Lindsey. She smiled too knowingly for comfort. “You have no idea how Chapter Two deliberative he can be. How . . . thorough.” She leaned toward me, nibbling on a bit of bacon from her burger. “Have I ever waxed • poetic about the glory that is the fuzzy- chested vampire wearing nothing but cowboy boots?” BITTERSWEET DREAMS Midbite, I squeezed my eyes closed, but it was too late to block the image of Luc wearing nothing but his birthday suit and sassy, red boots. “That’s my former boss you’re talking about,” I whispered. “And I’m trying to eat.” “You’re thinking about him naked, aren’t you?” “Unfortunately.” She patted my arm. “And to think—I was actually hesitant about dating him. Oh, and speaking of which. Chaps. Enough stood on a high plain in my modern-style black leather— my said.” long hair whipping in the chilling wind that rolled past, swirl- “Enough most definitely said.” Lindsey was becoming my I ing the mist that curled at my feet. new, in- House Mallory, complete with conquest details. Sigh. The clothing might have been modern, but the setting was an- “In that case, I’ll leave you to your imagination. But I strongly cient. The landscape was bleak and empty, and the air smelled of recommend the therapeutic application of fuzzy-chested vampire sulfur and dampness. to grief. It works miracles.” I felt the footsteps before I heard them, the ground rumbling “I am sincerely glad to hear that. But if you keep talking, I will just slightly beneath my feet. poke your eyes out with a toothpick.” I shoved a handful of nap- And then he appeared. kins in her general direction. “Shut up and eat your burger.” Like a warrior returning from battle, Ethan emerged through Sometimes a girl had to lay down the law. the mist in garb out of time and place for twenty- first century Chi- cago. Knee- high leather boots, rough- hewn pants, and a long leather tunic belted at the waist. There was a rust-red gash in the middle of his chest. His hair was long and wavy and golden-blond, and his eyes were vibrantly green. I walked toward him, fear circling my heart, making a vise around it, squeezing my lungs until I was barely able to sip at air. I was glad to see him alive—but I knew he was a harbinger of death.

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